World Film Locations: Beijing

The title of Li Yu's film Lost in Beijingevokes the experience of many first-time visitors to China's bustling capital. The city's sprawling structure and rapid redevelopment-embodied by the high-rise apartments taking over historic districts-render Beijing's streets hard to navigate and its culture is just as difficult to penetrate. World Film Locations: Beijingis a revealing and engrossing introduction to both. In a series of spotlight essays and illustrated scene reviews, a cast of seasoned scholars and fresh new voices explore the vast range of films-encompassing drama, madcap comedy, martial arts escapism, and magical realism-that have been set in Beijing. Unveiling a city of hidden courtyards, looming skyscrapers, and traditional Hutong neighborhoods, these contributors depict a distinctive urban culture that reflects the conflict and tumult of a nation in transition. With considerations of everything from the back streets of Beijing Bicycleto the forbidden palace of The Last Emperorto the tourist park of The World, this volume is a definitive cinematic guide to an ever-changing and endlessly fascinating capital city.